9/7/04 Connor Henton, 334/844-4948 (hentocl@auburn.edu) ALABAMA CENTER FOR THE BOOK AUTHOR DINNER OFFERS "A NIGHT OF MYSTERY" AUBURN - The annual Alabama Center for the Book Author Dinner will celebrate Alabama mystery writers Ace Atkins, Tim Dorsey and Caroline Haines on Friday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. at Whitley Hall on the campus of Troy University Montgomery. Atkins, Dorsey and Haines combine suspense, mystery and intrigue with great southern settings. South Florida, the Mississippi Delta and New Orleans are the backdrops for Dorsey's wild thrillers, Haines' cozy Bones series and Atkins' blues-inflected noir mysteries, respectively. This year's program, emceed by Alabama Public Television "BookMark" host Don Noble, includes comments and readings by all three authors and a question-and-answer period. Tickets include an autographed copy of one of the authors' latest books. ACFTB began hosting an annual author dinner event in 2001 to celebrate both readers and writers and to highlight Alabama's rich and diverse literary culture. Previous honorees include Fannie Flagg and Homer Hickam. "Alabama boasts so many excellent writers, and it is a privilege to join with our partners to bring them together with their readers," notes Jay Lamar of the Alabama Center for the Book. The dinner is supported by Capitol Book & News of Montgomery, Troy University Montgomery, the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the Alabama Writers' Forum, the Alabama Public Library Service, Auburn University and the Alabama Department of Tourism and Travel. The Alabama Center for the Book, the state affiliate of the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, is dedicated to promoting reading, writers, publishing, literacy and books to all citizens. State events such as the annual author dinner and Telling Alabama's Stories, a spoken-word festival held on the Saturday following the dinner, also highlight the National Book Festival held each year in Washington, D.C. This year's national festival will be on October 9 . An Evening of Mystery will begin at 7 p.m. in the ballroom at Whitley Hall. Tickets are $65 per person. Tables are available at a discounted price. Tickets may be purchased at Capitol Book & News in Montgomery or by calling the ACFTB at 334-844-4948 or emailing hentocl@auburn.edu. For more information about the authors and the dinner, go to www.alabamabookcenter.org. Auburn University is a comprehensive research institution with more than 23,000 students and 6,500 faculty and staff. Ranked among the top 50 public universities nationally, Auburn is Alabama's largest educational institution, offering more than 230 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs. # # # sept04:AU-acftb